DETROIT – Red Wings coach Mike Babcock along with general manager Ken Holland successfully defended their bell ringing title on Tuesday evening, as the four duos of Red Wings personnel brought in a grand total of $24,438.69 for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.

During a two-hour span of bell ringing at Hiller’s Market in downtown Northville, Babcock and Holland raised $13,462 for the nonprofit, which included an anonymous $5,000 donation. Babcock and Holland saw a 37.9 percent increase over the $9,761.06 amount raised by the two last season.

“We can’t thank Ken Holland, Mike Babcock, some of the team's most beloved former players and the entire Detroit Red Wings organization enough for this fantastic event that has helped move us toward our $8.5 million 2012 Red Kettle goal,” said Major Mark Anderson, general secretary and Metro Detroit area commander for The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “It was amazing to see just how many fans came out across Metro Detroit to join the Red Wings in this friendly competition to do the most good for the hungry and homeless in our area.”

Kris Draper and Chris Chelios with a fan.

Former players Chris Chelios and Kris Draper finished second with a total of $7,400.85 thanks to a few sizable donations at Hockeytown Authentics. Caravan Facilities Management, LLC, made a donation of $1,000 and an anonymous donor contributed $5,000 to The Salvation Army. In addition, a local 2002 Little Caesars AAA hockey team raised $200 for the pair.

The team of former goaltenders Manny Legace and Chris Osgood collected $2,797, staying late to finish signing autographs for the hundreds of fans who showed up at a Kroger in Plymouth. Radio play-by-play announcer Ken Kal and former player Kirk Maltby received $778.84 in donations while bell ringing at a Kroger in St. Clair Shores.

The total of $24,438.69 raised by the four tandems for The Salvation Army was a 42.5 percent increase from last year’s total of $17,150. The average red kettle collects $200 in donations each day and the donations collected by the four pairings in just two hours would equal 122 days of bell ringing.

Chris Osgood and Manny Legace with a fan.

This season marks the seventh consecutive year the Red Wings and The Salvation Army are teaming up through the “Red Wings for Red Kettles” initiative to help the nonprofit reach its $8.5 million Red Kettle Campaign goal. Including this year’s competition, the team has raised nearly $70,000 since 2005 for the cause.

Though the Red Wings’ 2012 fundraising competition is in the record books, it’s not too late for Metro Detroiters to give to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. To make a contribution:

- Make a deposit into one of nearly 450 red kettles at storefronts throughout the area through Dec. 24

Kirk Maltby and Ken Kal.

About The Salvation Army:

Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. This past year, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing more than 3.2 million meals and more than 687,000 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.85 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.